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Mike Roe Digital News Producer/Blogger

Mike Roe is a Web producer for Southern California Public Radio and lead writer for pop culture blog Without A Net. Mike joined KPCC in November 2007 after working for KCTS public television in Seattle.

Roe began his broadcast career at his high school radio station KMIH in Mercer Island, Washington, where he served as president and program director. From there he moved on to college and community radio, and interned in commercial radio.

He earned a BA in history from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota.

When he's not covering the waterfront for KPCC, Mike writes and performs with several improv and sketch comedy groups. He's graduated from both the improv and sketch comedy programs at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. He also hosts the Geek Pilgrims podcast and serves on the board of his church.

Stories by Mike Roe

Deep in the foothills of the San Jacinto Mountains there is said to lurk a creature right out of the pages of gothic horror master H.P. Lovecraft. Native Americans call him "Tahquist" and they say he’s a primordial beast who steals the souls of humans. The creature comes alive in a new exhibit at Riverside’s Culver Center of the Arts.

Police say butcher shop worker Jesus Hernandez, 48, has admitted to torching Cathedral City strip mall Date Palm Plaza earlier this month. No one was hurt in the fire and subsequent explosion, but eight businesses were damaged or destroyed.

A thunderstorm moved through the Southland Thursday afternoon, leaving 13,838 Southern California Edison customers without power as of 6:30 p.m. with heavy rain, thunder and lightning in some areas, down from 20,000 earlier. The hardest hit areas are Arcadia, Long Beach, Covina, Rancho Cucamonga and Palm Springs, according to SoCal Edison.

Following a tanker fire that caused serious damage to the Paramount Bridge above the 60 Freeway, demolition of the east side of the overpass has begun. Caltrans also now says they plan to reopen both directions of the 60 in time for the evening commute Friday, helping out those trying to drive through Montebello to get from the Inland Empire or Pomona Valley into L.A.

Louis C.K. has a new comedy special out, "Louis C.K.: Live at the Beacon Theater," and instead of going the traditional route and putting it out somewhere like HBO or Comedy Central, he's distributing it directly from his website, LouisCK.

Crest View Elementary School, Hillside Middle School and Mountain View Elementary in Simi Valley were placed on lockdown earlier today. Police are searching for several robbery suspects in an area near the schools. The schools were dismissed at their regular times.

Gov. Jerry Brown has filed a ballot initiative to temporarily raise taxes on high income earners, Brown announced Monday in an “open letter” to California voters. The plan also hikes the state sales tax by half a percent. If approved by voters, the funds would go to education and public safety.

Beginning at 6 a.m., much of the L.A. area was under another red flag warning, with high winds expected again, though they were not supposed to be quite as dramatic as the winds that downed tons of trees and cut off power to a quarter million last Wednesday and Thursday.